Ananth Prasad, an 18-year veteran of the department, was appointed to its top post of secretary last year by Gov. Rick Scott. In a recent interview with the Orlando Sentinel editorial board, Prasad touched on a wide range of what he called "infrastructure" topics — including high-speed rail, commuter rail, regional toll agencies, Interstate 4 and sidewalks.

Q: What is Gov. Scott's approach to transportation?

A: Gov. Scott understands infrastructure.…His focus is not only to make improvements today to make sure we create a climate for economic development, but also to make investments for the long term, so that Florida continues to be the best state to do business, to live and work for decades to come.

Q: That sounds like a good argument for high-speed rail between Orlando and Tampa. Why did the governor pull the plug on that project?

A: There was a significant amount of risk. Ridership studies on rail transportation have always underperformed … The actual ridership is always less. If you look at the major systems [around the country], the farebox recovery is only about 50 percent. There were a lot of questions about whether people from Orlando and Tampa were going to ride the train.

Q: What about commuter rail — do you lack confidence in those ridership studies?

A: I'm not as confident as I am on studies like we do for toll roads. But the key thing for commuter rail is economic development. We've got to get the transit oriented development going. … Commuter rail makes sense for Orlando. The track is in the right place — unlike with [South Florida's] TriRail, where the track is in the wrong place. Here, the train is going to go through downtown. It's going to service the entertainment venues and the businesses. It takes care of the bedroom communities.

Q: Some legislators have tried to merge theOrlando-Orange County Expressway Authority with the other regional toll agencies in the state. Do you support that idea?

A: No. It takes local control away, and that's a problem. The OOCEA has been able to build projects with local support. But do you need to create little bureaucracies everywhere to do the same thing we do? … There should be local authorities that have the ability to advance projects, sell bonds, finance those projects, but then look to existing resources in the area. Maybe Orange County can build a road. They have staff to do it. If not, DOT has staff. … You don't need to create that redundancy, because there are costs associated with it.

Q: How is the planned reconstruction of Interstate 4 through Orlando, including the addition of toll lanes, shaping up?

A: We want to get it under construction by 2014. … We'll make a significant amount of improvements to the existing lanes and ramps and merges … There will be two new toll lanes in each direction in addition to the existing lanes. … Construction is going to be disruptive, but we're going to keep the existing lanes open.

Q: What role do you think sidewalks and bike paths should play in Florida's transportation system?

A: We are required by federal law to spend a certain percent of federal money on enhancement projects [including sidewalks and bike paths]. My testimony to Congress was don't have a fixed percentage, because then you start building stuff that you don't need. We will continue to build sidewalks where it's needed for the project. We will continue to landscape where the project warrants it. All of our projects go through extensive public outreach. So people who use the facility dictate what they need beyond the pavement. … If the public wants sidewalks, we're going to build the sidewalks.